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Abdullah al-Theni | |
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 al-Theni in 2014 | |
| Prime Minister of Libya | |
| In office 11 March 2014 – 15 March 2021* Acting: 11 March 2014 – 8 April 2014 | |
| President | Nouri Abusahmain(As President of the General National Congress) Abu Bakr Baira(As Acting Speaker of the House of Representatives) Aguila Saleh Issa(As Speaker of the House of Representatives) |
| Preceded by | Ali Zeidan |
| Succeeded by | Fayez al-Sarraj(as Chairman of the Presidential Council under theGovernment of National Accord, internationally recognized) Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh(under theGovernment of National Unity) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1954-01-07)7 January 1954 (age 71)[1] |
| Political party | Independent |
| Alma mater | Benghazi Military University Academy |
| Signature |  |
| *Theni's premiership was disputed byAhmed Maiteeq,Omar al-Hassi,Khalifa al-Ghawil, andFayez al-Sarraj. | |
Abdullah al-Theni (Arabic:عبد الله الثني Libyan pronunciation:[ʕæbˈdɑllɑtˈtini,-ˈθæni]) is aLibyan politician who served as theprime minister ofLibya, from 2014, when he took over in an interim capacity after the dismissal ofAli Zeidan,[2] to 2021. In the context of thesecond Libyan civil war, he served as prime minister under theTobruk-basedgovernment. His government received widespread international recognition until 2016 as well as backing from both theLibyan House of Representatives and theLibyan National Army. He was previously the defence minister in the government of Zeidan.[3]
In April 2014, al-Thani negotiated the reopening of two out of four oil ports seized by rebels.[4] Also, after he threatened to resign, the Congress officially confirmed him as prime minister in a permanent capacity and vested him with greater powers to deal with Libya's problems.[2]
However, al-Thani submitted his resignation as prime minister of the interim government on 13 April 2014, although he was asked to stay on as a caretaker until the election of a successor.[5]Ahmed Maiteeq was eventually elected as the new prime minister, but Maiteeq's election was voided on 9 June and al-Thani was reinstated as caretaker.[6]
After theelection of aHouse of Representatives to govern Libya, al-Thani attended the opening ceremony of the new parliament inTobruk on 4 August 2014.[7] He and his cabinet again resigned on 29 August 2014,[8] citing a need to give the controversial new parliament a chance to choose a new, inclusive government[9] afterIslamist lawmakers convened a new meeting of theGeneral National Congress inTripoli and declared al-Thani dismissed, although he defended the elected House of Representatives as "the only legitimate authority in the country".[10] The next week, however, the Tobruk-based lawmakers reappointed al-Thani as prime minister and tasked him with forming a "crisis government".[11]
With Libya sliding intocivil war between the two rival governments, al-Thani ordered GeneralKhalifa Haftar to "liberate" Tripoli in October 2014.[12] In March 2015, following the start of amilitary intervention in support of the internationally recognised government inYemen, al-Thani compared the situation in his country tothe situation in Yemen and said Libya would call on theArab League to "restore legitimacy".[13]
On 26 May 2015 he survived an assassination attempt when gunmen fired on his convoy in Tobruk.[14]
Abdullah al-Thani offered to resign as prime minister on 11 August 2015, over a year into theSecond Libyan Civil War, saying his "exit is the solution."[15]
Al-Thani and the House of Representatives promoted Haftar to the rank ofField Marshal in recognition for his leadership in the Operation Surprise Lightning, capturing the four key oil ports (Sidra,Ra's Lanuf,Brega andZuwetina) in theGulf of Sirte from thePetroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) during theongoing Libyan Civil War.[16]
Al-Thani offered the resignation of his government on 13 September 2020 in response to the2020 Libyan protests.[17]
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Libya 2014–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Kingdom of Libya (1951–1969) |  .svg) .svg) .svg) | ||||
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| Libya under Gaddafi (1969–2011) |
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| Transitional period (2011–present) | |||||
Italics indicate acting officeholder | |||||